The public comment period has closed on a proposal that could lead to commercial mineral leasing in federal waters off Virginia’s Eastern Shore.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management accepted comments through Aug. 22 on a request for information and interest covering about 1.77 million acres, or 2,764 square miles, of the Outer Continental Shelf. The area lies three to 63.5 miles off the Delmarva Peninsula, seaward of Accomack and Northampton counties, in water depths ranging from approximately 30' to 410'.
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The Responsible Battery Coalition also supported allowing Odyssey and GLDD to explore the area and assess its commercial potential, citing the use of critical minerals in batteries, defense systems and manufacturing.
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BOEM’s next step is to review the comments and indications of commercial interest. If the agency proceeds, it would identify specific tracts and conduct an environmental analysis of leasing and preliminary exploration activities. Later stages would include proposed and final leasing notices followed by a competitive lease sale. Separate BOEM approval and further environmental review would be required before a lessee could undertake delineation, testing or mining.
